Statewide Parent Group Looks To Eliminate A-F Letter Grade System In Florida, Calls It A ‘Failure’

Florida’s A through F grading system as a means to gauge a school’s performance has been fraught with controversy in recent years, and now a statewide parent group is fed up, calling for an end to the system which has been basic in Florida education for 17 years.

(SUNSHINE STATE NEWS) – Florida’s A through F grading system as a means to gauge a school’s performance has been fraught with controversy in recent years, and now a statewide parent group is fed up, calling for an end to the system which has been basic in Florida education for 17 years.

“Almost the totality of the Florida education system needs to be reformed in order to return it to its primary mission,” said Florida Parents Against Common Core state director Luz Gonzalez.

FPACC, a statewide group, says despite improvements made through the grades and subsequent education reforms, the A-F grading system is in serious need of an overhaul.

Started in 1999, Florida devised the the A-F letter grade system as a way for parents to understand how schools their children’s schools were doing. It was created to measure student achievement among schools statewide, factoring in standardized test scores and student achievement progress to compute each letter grade.

Florida has altered the grading system several times throughout the years, raising the bar for what it means to achieve each letter grade. In fact, it has undergone more than 60 revisions in the last two decades.

Critics say the grading system is to blame, keeping Florida from completing its primary mission of educating students to their highest potential.